The Building of Hogwarts
by rokchichomesickg
Summary: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin work together to build the castle that will teach students the ways of magic. I was going to attempt to write in Medieval lingo, but I went for the easy-to-read version. Hope you like it.


"This is as good a spot as any," said Godric to the others, surveying the wide open space of English countryside. A dense forest lay to the east. He looked back at the others.

"I suppose it will do for our purpose," replied Helga brightly through a German accent, a smile plastered on her face.

"And you, Rowena," he directed at the pale Irish woman. She looked around with intelligent eyes, her diadem glinting in the sunlight.

"The mountains would cover it quite well, and it is too far from anything for Muggles to stumble upon it. Yes, it will do nicely," she said. The others mumbled their agreement and turned their attention to Salazar. He folded his arms into his dark green cloak and squinted, frowning as if he were pondering something of great importance. Finally, he nodded.

"Yes," was all he said. That was all it took for all four of them to produce their wands from the folds of their cloaks.

"All together, then," suggested Godric. The four of them began to summon the large rocks they had bewitched, and Transfigured the land to accommodate them. They had been friends since childhood, and each knew the others so well that they didn't have to speak while they worked. The plans for the castle had been in the making for some time. It would need plenty of rooms for all the children who would come here to learn magic, and to explore.

The four of them stood side-by-side, their wands pointed upward as the walls were getting higher and higher. Every now and then they would move to a new section and start the same process. It took several days to finish the outer walls, to give the castle its shape. Salazar stepped back to survey their work calmly.

"What do you think, Gryffindor," he asked. They had never really gotten along, but for the sake of their dream they managed to be civil. Godric and the others stopped working and looked.

"It needs a little work, but I believe we are finally doing what we set out to do," Godric replied.

"It is beautiful," whispered a teary-eyed Helga, producing a golden cup. She tapped the rim, muttering "_Aguamente_" and took a sip.

"Do you remember when our parents would bring us together for the summer months?" asked Rowena quietly. They all nodded.

"I always hated it," said Salazar, "though, if this is what comes of us being forced to socialize with nobles, I am glad to have been a part." Godric frowned. Salazar was tactless at times, but he made up for it in enthusiasm. Rowena said nothing as she stared up at what would be the Astronomy Tower. Her face was glowing with pride.

"Come, let us eat and get some rest," suggested Godric. "We will continue tomorrow."

They left the pile of bewitched rocks there, a little smaller than it used to be.

The next day was no different, and so on for the two weeks. When the structure itself was complete, they set to work on finishing the inside. They each had a different section of the castle. Salazar, being the expert on all things dark and underground, volunteered to finish the dungeons and Potions classroom. Rowena was assigned to the building and collecting of the Library and Charms classroom. Helga felt there needed to be a greenhouse, so she went to work outside before she continued with the construction of a few extra classrooms the others didn't want to bother with. They had labeled those the History of Magic, Ancient Runes, and Muggle Studies classrooms. Salazar had scoffed at the last one, but Helga had insisted it was imperative. Godric peeked out from under the brim of his pointed leather hat as he put the finishing touches on the Headmaster's office and quarters. He had time to build an Owlery for parcels and letters. Before they knew it, darkness had fallen again and they had to stop for the night. They were all tired, but their excitement lifted their hearts.

The debate over the dormitories had been a long one that had been resolved in the building design. Unfortunately, they each had their differences, which Helga couldn't understand. She loved everyone equally. Rowena had argued that the school only accept the most intelligent, but that hadn't gone over well with Godric and Salazar, who had insisted that only the bravest and purest should be accepted, respectively. In the end it was decided that the school would be divided into four Houses, named after themselves.

Godric cut his surname, Gryffindor, into stone over the crest of a prancing lion leading to his section of the castle. Helga carved "Hufflepuff" over the crest of a badger, Rowena "Ravenclaw" over the crest of an eagle, and finally Salazar put "Slytherin" on the crest of a snake. They assigned each house their colors, as well. Godric looked down at the hilt of his sword and chose red and gold, waving his wand to change the colors of the tapestry. The others did the same. Rowena chose blue and silver, for her diadem, Helga chose gold and black, and Salazar chose green and silver. Each changed the colors of the tapestries in the dorms in accordance to the uniform. They would take a lesson from the monks and try to keep the students united, even though they would be separated into Houses. When they were finished, they took an extra measure to add a password for each House, so the students wouldn't fraternize with each other and develop dangerous ideas. Godric, Salazar, and Helga chose a fairly simple method of using portraits to keep the password. Rowena decided to be difficult and make the students answer a riddle that a doorknocker would ask them.

When the others weren't looking, sometimes Godric would create a secret passage or two. What he didn't know was that Rowena, Helga, and Salazar had done the same thing. Salazar turned up his cheeks in a rare smile and dusted off his hands, surveying his handiwork. His Chamber was finished, and it was magnificent. A large ornate bust of himself stood at the end of a long walkway surrounded by water. The only people who could get into it would be Parsletongues, a trick he was quite proud of. Rowena added a Hidden room that only opened to the seeker's needs. Helga only made a few passages leading out of the castle. She believed that children should be able to explore and play while they were young.

The castle itself was complete, and now it needed the final touches. Godric put a large stone eagle at the entrance to the Headmaster's office. It would create a set of stairs when the password was spoken correctly. The four founders had been collecting for some time, and some other noble families had donated things to the school. Everything had its place, from tapestries, to portraits, to statues. Sometimes they would guard a door or a secret passage, and sometimes it was there just to provide a historical element to the castle. The four of them had planned it so that the castle would stand for ages to come, thus the enchanted stones. They had spelled wards surrounding the castle so as to repel Muggles and keep the school safe. Never before had anyone attempted to build a school of magic in England.

After much painstaking labor into details, the castle was finally complete.

"It is the beginning of an era," remarked Godric.


End file.
